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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · bowl · pit · bear · charge · content · rock · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. band — a ring
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a music group
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pit — in a race
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com